Weather is a topic that is mentioned quite often in scripture. I dedicate this sermon to my mom who has always been interested in the weather. Scripture talks about floods, droughts, storms, snow and ice, rain, clouds, and much more and shows how God is even in control of the weather just as he is in everything else in life. We are going to look at just some of what scripture has to say about weather. The books of Job and Psalms have the most references to weather.
Genesis 2:5-6 are the first verses that mention weather. They show how prior to the flood there was no rain upon the earth, but rather God watered the ground with a mist that came up from the earth. (Genesis 2:5-6 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.) The next occasion is of the Genesis flood in Genesis 6:17. (Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.) Today we no longer have a mist from the ground, but rather dew which is probably similar effects, except dew comes from the clouds rather than the ground. (Proverbs 3:20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.)
Floods are mentioned in scripture with most cases dealing with the Genesis flood that flooded the whole earth with water. This was a global flood and not a local flood. God destroyed all people and land animals except those in the ark. God has many chapters and verses that deal with this flood. This was the greatest weather event in scripture. Scripture also speaks of floods brought by God in general. (Isaiah 28:2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.) Floods are normally brought by God as punishment for man’s sin, but they also do benefit man in that when farm land is flooded many nutrients are put back into the soil which helps grow future crops.
Rain is mentioned that enough of it and quickly will bring forth those floods. The first mention of rain falling on the earth was at the start of the Genesis flood when it rained for forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.) We are told that it is God who brings us the rain. (Job 5:10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:) This verse shows it is God who waters our crops. Thank God for the rain. God watering our crops is always better than us doing it. (Job 38:26-27 26 To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
27 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?) Job 38:26-27 show that God even brings rain to places where man does not live to even water the plants of the desert. (Psalm 65:9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.) God brings rain to both the unsaved and saved. (Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.) God provides the rain at times of seasons to water the crops. (Jeremiah 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.) God brings small rain of drizzle to great rain of a downpour. (Job 37:6 For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.) God mentions the hydrological cycle which is the cycle of water falling on the earth and then evaporating back to form new clouds and be transported to a new spot to then bring water again upon the earth. Job 36:27-28 and other verses seem to mention this hydrological cycle as does Amos 9:6 where God calleth water from the seas which is where most of it comes from for the hydrological cycle and then he pours it upon the earth. (Amos 9:6 It is he that buildeth his stories in the heaven, and hath founded his troop in the earth; he that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name.) God wrote about the hydrological cycle about 1600 years before man knew about it.
Clouds are necessary in order to bring the rain and God said he controls the clouds and decides when they drop rain. (Isaiah 5:6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.) (Job 36:27-28 For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof:
28 Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.) (Psalm 147:8 Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.) Today man tries to play God by seeding the clouds to get them to bring rain upon the earth. This has caused storms. The United States was seeding clouds during the Vietnam War. When the clouds are full of water they bring forth rain unless God prevents them. (Ecclesiastes 11:3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.) We cannot hold back the clouds when they are ready to drop rain just like when a bottle is poured out. (Job 38:37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,) Following a rain the clouds disappear as clouds are just rain water that is suspended. (Ecclesiastes 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:) (Job 26:8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.) Clouds all contain a rainbow as a reminder of God’s covenant with man to never destroy the earth again with a global flood. We will still have local floods. (Genesis 9:13-16 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.) A rainbow is formed by sunlight reflecting off of water droplets. Scientists have special instruments which have proven that a rainbow is in every cloud just as God said. Jesus appeared as a cloud during the day to the Israelites during the forty years they wandered in the wilderness to provide shade. Clouds can help cool a hot summer day as they block some of the sunlight. (Exodus 40:38 For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.) God appeared to Moses as a cloud on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 34:5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.) Black clouds are usually a sign of a coming rain and often a heavy rain. (I Kings 18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.) (II Samuel 22:12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.) Clouds travel in the circuit of heaven. (Job 22:14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.) Meteorologists are those who study weather and try to predict it. Many times they can learn from the signs God has given, but many other times they are wrong since God controls the weather. (Matthew 16:2-3 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?) We are told that they will never fully understand the clouds and the weather. (Job 36:29 Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?) God balances the clouds in their place as they move across the sky in the circuit of heaven. (Job 37:16 Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?) This verse says God is perfect in his knowledge in how to control the entire universe to make it work properly. The water in clouds is in liquid droplets of various sizes depending on the cloud, not water vapor and water is heavier than air so how does God balance the clouds? We now know this is done by the weight of the wind that rushes up due to temperature differences to hold up and balance the clouds. We then read earlier in Job 36:27-28 how God drops the water from the clouds when he is ready to water the earth. Clouds block sunlight yet the wind will blow them away to once again reveal the sunlight which represents a type of Jesus. We cannot look directly at the sun just as we cannot look directly at God, yet the clouds blocking some light allow us to see more clearly the sun. God uses the clouds as his chariot to ride around. (Psalm 104:3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:) We see in this verse how wind has wings. Jesus will return in the clouds at the end of the great tribulation and prior to this he will call all Christians both dead and alive up to him in the clouds in the rapture. (Mark 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.) (I Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.) A cloud that rises out of the west brings rain showers. (Luke 12:54 ¶ And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.)
Wind often times is what brings the rain in and the wind will become stronger just before that storm. I already said how the wind blows the clouds around. A south wind will bring forth heat. (Luke 12:55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.) Wind will dry up flood waters just as God had it help dissipate the Genesis flood waters. (Genesis 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;) I already read Psalm 104:3 which shows wind has wings, but II Samuel 22:11 also mentions it as does Psalm 18:10. This verse also shows how God not only rides upon the clouds, but also cherubim. (II Samuel 22:11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.) Wind can cool us down on a hot day or make us cold on a cold day. Wind can be used to bring about destruction. This can be used as punishment for man’s sin or in the case of Job to allow Satan to test him as the wind destroyed his son’s house and killed his seven sons and three daughters. (Job 1:19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.) Wind cannot be seen, only heard, felt, and its effects seen. God also said we do not know where it bloweth from or where it goes. (John 3:8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.) It is God who commands the wind to lift up the waves upon water during storms. (Psalm 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.) It is God who causes the wind to blow. (Psalm 147:18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.) The wind comes out of God’s treasuries. Jeremiah 10:13 and 51:16 also mention how God brings forth the wind out of his treasuries. (Psalm 135:7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.) This verse also shows he makes lightning to go with the rain. Lightning during a rainstorm helps crops grow as it splits the nitrogen in the atmosphere to allow it to be absorbed by the crops and grow better. God keeps the wind in his fists. (Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?) People say Jesus is not spoken of in the old testament yet this verse shows that even in the old testament God spoke of his son and him as a father. Jesus as God had authority over the wind as he calmed the wind and raging sea. (Luke 8:24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.) There are strong winds and light breezes. Acts speaks of a wind known as Euroclydon which is similar to a nor’easter in New England. Euroclydon is a very strong wind found in the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding area. (Acts 27:14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.) The Holy Ghost is compared to the wind as both are invisible, powerful, and can be felt and the effects seen. The north wind drives away the rain. My local meteorologist confirmed scripture was accurate yet most modern bibles say the north wind brings in the rain showing how inaccurate and corrupt they are. (Proverbs 25:23 The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.) Blowing wind helps spread plant seeds to grow food for animals. We often think of wind as weightless, but God says wind has weight and he prepares clouds with the right amount of water which he has weighed in order to drop it in the right amount on the right spot on earth. Scientists have only recently discovered this truth of wind having weight when God knew it all along and had it in his word. (Job 28:24-27 24 For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven;
25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
27 Then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out.)
Sometimes the rain can be violent and bring thunderstorms with thunder and lightning. Thunder is the noise that is made from the lightning passing through the air which quickly heats it up and then quickly expands the air causing the thunder. God’s voice has been compared to thunder. (Job 40:9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?) (Job 37:2 Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.) (John 12:28-29 28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.) We cannot understand the power of thunder. (Job 26:14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?) Lightning is an electrostatic discharge of a tremendous amount of electrical energy [100 million to 1 billion volts and billions of watts]. Lightning is God’s arrows that he casts upon earth. (II Samuel 22:15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.) (Psalm 18:14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.) (Psalm 144:6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.) God makes a path for his lightning to follow. (Job 28:26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:) (Job 38:25 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;) God has full control over lightning as he directs were it goes as he sends it to all places over the earth. (Job 37:3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.) Lightning is a quick flash of light which can light up the whole night sky. (Psalm 77:17-18 17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.
18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.) (Ezekiel 1:14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.) Satan’s fall from heaven was described as lightning falling from heaven. Just as lightning travels at the speed of light which is the fastest thing known at 186,000 miles per second, Satan’s fall from heaven was fast as a flash of lightning. (Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.) Lightning strikes can cause fires both in forests and in homes.
Severe thunderstorms especially in the summer can cause hail to fall upon the earth. Hail can be very destructive to crops as well as property or even people depending on its size. The largest hail mentioned in scripture will be about 75 pounds or 100 pounds in size depending on interpretation of a talent during the great tribulation. A 75 pound hailstone would kill any person hit by one. (Revelation 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.) God has used hailstones before to kill people such as the Amorites who were enemies of Israel and therefore of God. (Joshua 10:11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth–horon, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.) The first time hail is mentioned is when God sent hail upon the Egyptians as one of the ten plagues. (Exodus 9:23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.) God has often used hail to punish man. (Psalm 78:47-48 47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.) Verse 48 shows lightning (thunderbolts) is hot. (Psalm 105:32 He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.) Sometimes God also sends fire from heaven and he has also sent sulfur balls from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. God has many things in his arsenal. (Luke 17:29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.) (Ezekiel 38:22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.) The sulphur balls found where Sodom had been have been found to be almost pure sulfur compared to most normal sulfur balls found on earth that are around 30 something percent pure. This is because the ones that hit Sodom were sent from heaven.
Violent thunderstorms can also often produce tornadoes or whirlwinds as scripture refers to them as. Elijah was taken up into heaven by God in a whirlwind as a type of the rapture. (II Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.) God answered Job out of a whirlwind. (Job 40:6 ¶ Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,) Tornadoes normally come out of the south just as cold comes out of the north. (Job 37:9 Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.)
Storms are often violent weather when rain comes. God mentions some storms specifically in scripture some of which I have already mentioned such as the violent global flood in Genesis, the storm that hit Paul in Acts on his way to Rome, and the storm that hit Jesus and his disciples while they were in the ship. God sent a storm against Jonah for disobeying him. (Jonah 1:4 ¶ But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.) God has full control over the weather, but I believe he does allow Satan to sometimes control it such as when Satan used the wind to destroy the home of Job’s son. I also believe God let Satan bring the storm that hit Jesus and his apostles which Jesus calmed. Satan was trying to kill not only the disciples, but also Jesus to try and prevent his doom. Hurricanes can be violent storms which form over the oceans, but they are not directly mentioned in scripture though some of the storms may represent them such as the tempests mentioned such as in Acts 27:14. Tempests are violent windy storms such as seen in hurricanes. (Isaiah 28:2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.) Heavy winds can bring up a different kind of storm such as dust storms that are often seen in desert areas. Deuteronomy 28:23-24 seems to be describing dust storms. (Deuteronomy 28:23-24 23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.)
When God withholds the rain as he sometimes does for punishment of sin as we have seen out west and around the world, this will often lead to drought. (Haggai 1:11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.) (Deuteronomy 11:17 And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you.) We see the weather extremes from drought to forty days and nights of rain in Noah’s day. Scripture mentions some droughts that hit lands. Droughts often lead to famine as the food cannot grow. Abraham went to Egypt after a famine hit where he lived. (Genesis 12:10 ¶ And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.) Later Isaac would run off to the land of the Philistines during another famine. (Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar.) In the days of Joseph a seven year famine hit Egypt and all the surrounding area. Joseph under God’s guidance kept the people fed. (Genesis 45:6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.) Droughts and heat will melt snow. (Job 24:19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.) The melting of snow water is often used for drinking water, but a drought will quickly use up (consume) that stored water. Droughts can often lead to forest fires especially if lightning strikes. Excessive heat is often connected to droughts. God said that cold and heat would always remain while the earth existed. This shows that global warming is a fraud as we will always have the cold. Global warming is just being used to control people and push socialist agendas. (Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.) Heat is caused by the sun and sometimes God withholds the sun. (Job 9:7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.)
Clouds will drop snow instead of rain when it becomes cold. (Psalm 147:16-17 16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?) Pure snow is white and God describes our sins being made pure white like snow when washed in the blood of Jesus. (Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.) Snow just like rain waters the earth and just like rain snow does not return back to heaven after it has fallen. It stays here until it evaporates later on. (Isaiah 55:10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:) Snow is also contained in the treasuries of God in heaven and is sometimes used by God when he is at war with man. Great snowstorms known as blizzards can be devastating. (Job 38:22-23 22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?) Snowfall in mountains can also be a treasure as melting snow in the springtime brings much need water to deserts, cities, and many other locations. Snow, ice, and frost are often mentioned in the book of Job, much more than in any other book. It is believed that Job was living when the ice age was still going on and was describing some of it. Ice is also seen in scripture with some cases already mentioned. Here is another verse that also deals with frost. (Job 38:29 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?) Frost is a thin layer of ice and hoary frost is icy crystals on the ground that forms at night, in essence a winter frozen dew. (Genesis 31:40 Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.) (Exodus 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.) Frost comes from the breath of God. (Job 37:10 By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.) Job 37:10 speaks of the breadth of waters being straitened and this may refer to land bridges that were formed during the ice age between continents due to frozen water. The breadth (width) now becomes narrower (straitened) as the body of water is now passable. We saw earlier how cold comes from the north.
God often speaks of weather in scripture and he speaks of many things that we have only learned more recently yet God always had these things in scripture long ago. Let us read and trust scripture to know more about the weather. Let us appreciate the weather more as we realize that God is in control of everything and that includes the weather. Remember that God has and does often punish people with weather so let us as a nation repent of our sins and we will enjoy wonderful weather just as he promised Israel if they obeyed his commands. (Deuteronomy 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.) For those who are not saved call upon Jesus today so that you may know the one who creates and controls the weather and have your sins become white as snow.
